Transgenic animal expressing HLA-A24 and utilization thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to a non-human transgenic mammal which has had an HLA-A24 gene introduced and in which CTLs are induced when stimulated by an HLA-A24-binding antigen. Such a transgenic mammal provides a method of screening therapeutic or preventive agents for tumors or virus infections by administering a test substance to the transgenic animal and evaluating whether CTLs specific for the test substance are induced. An HLA-A24-binding tumor antigen peptide of PSA origin that is selected by this screening method is described, as are a chimera DNA (DNA construct) useful in the generation of a non-human transgenic mammal, and a host cell transformed by the chimera gene and use thereof.

1. A transgenic mouse comprising a chimera gene comprising α1 and α2 domains of an HLA-A2402 gene and the α3 domain of a mouse H-2K b  gene wherein cytotoxic T lymphocytes of the mouse induce an HLA-A2402-specific cytotoxic response when stimulated with HLA-A2402, wherein said chimera gene comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of (a) a nucleotide sequence that encodes the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3, (b) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2, and (c) the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1. 
     
     
       2. The transgenic mouse according to  claim 1 , wherein the mouse is of C57BL/6 mouse strain.